Fresh and Frozen Storage on Meat Quality and Sensory Attributes of Lamb Loins and Legs

The objective of this study was to evaluate fresh and frozen storage of lamb longissimus lumborum (LL) and semimembranosus (SM). Wether lambs (n=12) were raised and harvested at North Dakota State University. After a 24-h chill, loins and legs were split in half and randomly assigned to fresh (FRSH) or frozen (FRZN) treatments. FRSH halves were stored at 3°C for 14 d while FRZN halves were stored at −18°C for 13 d+1 d to thaw at 3°C. Samples were collected to evaluate sensory attributes, Warner-Bratzler shear force, cook loss, drip loss, troponin-T (TnT) degradation, and lipid oxidation. Data were analyzed using PROC MIXED of SAS Studio®. Experimental units were loin or leg with means being separated with the PDIFF option and were considered significant when P<0.05. In FRSH-LL, sensory samples scored higher in overall like, tenderness, and juiciness (P≤0.03) compared with FRZN-LL samples. No differences in overall like,flavor, tenderness, or juiciness scores (P≥0.77) were observed between FRSH-SM and FRZN-SM. FRSH-LL and FRSH-SM had less drip loss compared with FRZN-LL and FRZN-SM (P<0.0001, P=0.0003, respectively). FRSH lamb LL and SM had greater degradation of TnT (P≤0.0008) compared with FRZN lamb. Malondialdehyde levels were not different (P>0.05) between treatments within each muscle. However, no other meat quality differences were observed (P≥0.10). Our results demonstrate that lamb legs may be frozen for 13 d without negative effects on palatability whereas lamb loins should be kept fresh to offer the greatest opportunity for consumer satisfaction.